1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for calculating, storing and displaying the score of a competitive sport or game that is similar to tennis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In any competitive game, it is of great value to keep a reliable record of scores as the game progresses. In games that are generally regarded as spectator sports, it is often worthwhile for owners of the playing facilities to invest in large scoreboards so that the results and timing of a game are immediately visible to spectators, players and officials alike. But many sports are played only in the presence of the players, and costly scoreboard arrangements are not economically feasible.
Some games, such as tennis, lawn tennis, table tennis and volleyball have scoring systems that are not as straightforward as simply counting a point score until a particular value is reached. In each of the games cited, there is at some point in the game a condition in which a player must achieve a certain number of points greater than those of his opponent in order to win and terminate the game.
The two conditions described above indicate a need for a device which may be used without costly construction, without hindering the physical activities of the players, and with the ability to construct a score sequence that goes beyond ordinary point counting.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,254,433 to Saile and Saile describes a partial but useful approach to these problems, wherein a scoring device mountable on the fence of a tennis court contains an actuating mechanism on its front panel, which indexes a score displaying mechanism whenever a tennis ball is thrown at it. This allows the scores to be displayed without requiring either player to carry a bulky scorekeeping device, and without participation by any third party. It does not, however, teach means for identifying and calculating the existence of a "deuce" or "advantage" condition as is frequent in tennis; such a condition may be displayed, but requires the player to strike the target panel more than once to position the display device to the proper score.
A comprehensive solution to the needs of scoring a game such as tennis would necessarily involve a device that may be adapted for either public display (as in a scoreboard), or which may be small and light enough for the player to wear without discomfort or restriction of his playing skill. It should also respond to any new point scored in tennis or similar games without requiring the player to divert his consciousness from the actual playing of the game, and hence should be fully automatic in its calculation of a new score, as well as in its ability to identify the winning of a game and the subsequent increase in a player's set score.
In addition to the scoring of games, there are other features which are incidental to the playing of a game and which would render such a device much more useful, explicitly to the tennis player. Some games including tennis require the exchange of sides of the playing court after a certain number of games are played, to insure fairness in the presence of local playing conditions such as sunlight or wind. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a court change indication based on a particular class of scoring states.
When several players must share the same facilities, local rules frequently provide for a particular time limit for playing. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an indication of a preset elapsed time, and to provide for the possible indication of time of day or elapsed time. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,928,960 and 3,803,834, both to Reese, disclose conventional arithmetic calculators in combination with a time-of-day indication, but do not teach the application of game scoring in their respective calculator functions.